


vim dicare

by 4wholecats



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bad Ending, Body Horror, Deadlord Sigurd, Gen, Necromancy, sigurd has a terrible day and so does arvis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28726911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4wholecats/pseuds/4wholecats
Summary: Holy weapons are strong, but they break eventually, just like any common sword.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	vim dicare

**Author's Note:**

> *pauses writing a fic about a post battle of belhalla AU in order to write a more evil post battle of belhalla AU*

Holy weapons are strong, but they break eventually, just like any common sword. Arvis hisses as Tyrfing’s divine edge cuts effortlessly through the thick fabric that he’s using to hold it. Blood beads along the palm of his ungloved hand, red and shining in the low light of the cold chamber. Surely, he should have asked someone else to do this, but it was too late now.

There’s a quiet, apprehensive sound from the chair on the other side of the room, and Arvis hisses through his teeth at its source, silencing the noise.

Yes, it’s far too late for regrets.

He turns back to his work, raising the pliers. The jewel in Tyrfing’s guard cracks under the pressure of the heavy tool as Arvis twists it out. The shattered pieces collect on the tabletop, and the mage sweeps them into the trash without a second thought. Such opulence would no longer be needed. 

The blade itself, polished and sharpened, separates from the hilt easily after a moment of tugging, and Arvis throws the dull half away before turning over the sword’s sharp edge. Even now, it sparks with divine magic, hot enough that Arvis feels it through the protective wrappings, now smeared with splashes of his own blood. 

It knows he’s not it’s owner. Arvis doesn’t care.

There’s the sound again, more urgent this time, grating against the mage’s ears as he pauses his words. He whirls around, face a grimace.

“Will you shut up?”

The sound stops with a wheeze, and Arvis turns back to the table with a huff. 

Manfroy had held up his end of the bargain, and the results quite literally spoke for themselves, but the more Arvis stays in this little room, the more he realizes that perhaps, somewhere along the line, a mistake has been made.

Equus sits in his chair, the same one he’s been sitting in since he was resurrected. He slumps, not entirely sure what to do with his limbs; one arm in his lap, one hanging limply over the armrest, and both legs splayed out as if he’d broken them in a fall. He watches Arvis with those unblinking red eyes, so different from the clear blue they’d been just days before. He whimpers again, and his armor, bolted to his bones as it is, creaks and shudders with every non-breath. 

Arvis glares over his shoulder, fixing the new deadlord with a harsh look. Equus pauses, if only for a moment, head lolling against the wall.

Returning to business. Tyrfing’s new hilt was unimpressive; a nondescript iron piece with no filigree or fancy insets- a weapon that wouldn’t attract attention, unlike its previous incarnation. The perfect weapon for a faceless soldier in the Grannvale Empire’s army- terrifyingly strong, but not flashy enough to uncover secrets better left buried. 

The last screw is set in place and Arvis hefts the sword, watching its lethal edge catch in the light. Yes. A dangerous weapon for a dangerous man.

Equus also sees the light, and he struggles to sit up a bit further, urged towards the blade by a memory he is no longer capable of understanding. 

“Peace, friend. It’s not time for you to use this yet.” Arvis whispers, letting his arm drop. The tip of the blade touches the ground, refusing to burn the dust that has settled there. No, it will not burn for him, only for-

Equus is undeterred by Arvis’s warning, and the mage can hear the grinding of metal-infused bones against each other as the deadlord’s heels drag themselves across the ground. There is a muffled creak as his knees bend; the horrible sound obfuscated by layers of meat and flesh that have been denied the privilege of rotting. Arvis quickly puts aside the once holy weapon before catching his companion by the shoulders, holding him at arm's length. The mage is lucky that Equus is still weak from his resurrection, he won’t be able to hold him down forever. 

“Calm. Calm, my friend.” Arvis whispers, more to himself than to his companion. The deadlord stills, looking at Arvis with those hazy, glowing, inhuman eyes. In the last few days, the man’s skin has taken on a waxy, grey pallor. His hair dangles in his face limply, its ends still matted and singed from the battle, and Arvis tucks one of the strands behind a cold ear.

“I have something else for you, though. A present, since you’ve been so understanding through all of this. I know it must be very confusing… but I appreciate your cooperation…” He heaves the gift off the ground with a grunt, ignoring the way that its slats and edges poke and prod at his skin. He was never a man for armor.

The helmet closes around Equus’s head with a clang, and it remains there for years; bolted on like the rest of the set.

But no matter how many years pass, Arvis will never forget that final look on his once-enemy’s face.

The look of a man, wronged.

**Author's Note:**

> im sure seliph and the scooby gang can somehow fix this, as long as equus is willing to wait 20 years or so  
> also yes i know equus is the bolganone guy in fe4 but there's no deadlord paladins so i did what i could. equus means horse.
> 
> if you enjoyed, leave a comment and maybe check out my other work! i do a lot of horror lol


End file.
